1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to data processing and in particular, to methods and circuitry for interprocessor communication.
2. Description of the Related Art
The ability to process audio information has become increasingly important in the personal computer (PC) environment. Among other things, audio is important in many multimedia applications, such as gaming and telecommunications. Audio functionality is therefore typically available on most conventional PCs, either in the form of an add-on audio board or as a standard feature provided on the motherboard itself. In fact, PC users increasingly expect not only audio functionality but high quality sound capability. Additionally, digital audio plays a significant role outside the traditional PC realm, such as in compact disk players, VCRs and televisions. As the audio technology progresses, digital applications are increasingly sophisticated as improvements in sound quality and sound effects are sought.
One of the key components in many digital audio information processing systems is the decoder. Generally, the decoder receives data in a compressed form and converts that data into a decompressed digital form. The decompressed digital data is then passed on for further processing, such as filtering, expansion or mixing, conversion into analog form, and eventually conversion into audible tones. In other words the decoder must provide the proper hardware and software interfaces to communicate with the possible compressed (and decompressed) data sources, as well as the destination digital and/or audio devices. In addition, the decoder must have the proper interfaces required for overall control and debugging by a host microprocessor or microcontroller. Further, the decoder must also perform additional functions appropriate to the decoder subsystem of a digital audio system, such as the mixing of various received digital and/or audio data streams.
During processing of streaming data, such as audio data (compressed or decompressed), it is essential that the processing device or system be capable of throughputting data accurately and with the requisite speed. One way of insuring this is by providing efficient communications between the various processing blocks within the given system or device. This is especially true when multiple processors are utilized. Thus, the need has arisen for circuits and methods of maintaining efficient communication between processing blocks, for use in such applications as advanced audio decoders.